Catherine Tyldesley has shared her first photo shoot after suffering a crisis of confidence.
The former Coronation Street star posted a photo from the shoot with Fabulous magazine along with some frank words.
The 37-year-old actress from Walkden says she went through a 'rollercoaster' of a year in 2020 and felt nervous about being back in front of the camera.
She explained: "The day before this shoot I felt so nervous, my body went through so much last year. So much thrown at it.
"But ... some shoots just make you feel good!
"This was my first shoot since the first lockdown ... after a rollercoaster of a year for so many reasons.
"Having a nightmare with hormones and self confidence, it was so good to feel like me again."
And Cath added: "Never underestimate the power of a good lipstick!!"
Cath, who played Eva Price in the soap from from 2011 until 2018, has previously spoken out about her mental health struggles in lockdown.
The actress and mother-of-one said last year that she couldn't get out of bed for a few days after going through a tough time.
Her parents Graham and Janet were both ill with coronavirus, then her mum was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital needing emergency surgery and then her grandfather passed away from COVID-19.
Speaking to Bipolar UK ambassador Natasha Naomi Rea in an Instagram live chat she said: "It's been really hard. "My parents were ill and my grandad.
"It just seemed like one thing after another, then my hormones went all a bit cuckoo.
"I just got a point where for a few days I just couldn't get out of bed and it was a mental issue I was having. I was just done."
Cath, who has a six-year-old son Alfie with photographer Tom Pitfield, explained: "I just thought 'I've been like this a couple of days and it's horrendous but what about those people out there that are dealing with this for months or that are dealing this every single day?'
"I can't begin to imagine how hard that struggle is especially if they've not got anybody to talk to."
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant admitted to finding home schooling with Alfie hard while staying at home.
"We didn't do his homework but we did some baking, we went looking for bugs in the garden, we planted lettuces," she said.
"And I thought 'do you know what? these are life skills.'
"Although we might not doing all his spellings as we should he's learning other thiings(sic) and he's getting quality time with us."
She added: "We had days where we just couldn't be a***d.
"We were like 'Alf just watch the Disney channel' because we're human."
Cath says her friend Natasha's book Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda inspired her to speak out.
Natasha, an actress who has appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Doctors and Ashes to Ashes, penned it about her own struggles with bipolar disorder which inspired the online #speakoutlikeBrenda campaign backed by a host of TV stars including Cath.
Cath previously prompted a huge response after she shared a raw photo of herself in tears on her Instagram which received a huge response.
Speaking with Natasha she said: "When I took the picture I was in a bad place.
"My mum was in ICU and it was just awful.
"I remember taking it and thinking 'I won't ever post it.'
"And then thought 'no I will' because I do have this drive, I do have this little tiny warrior inside that even when I'm down goes 'you're going to come back from this.'
"She was there and she was like 'take it you're going to come back from it.'
"I thought this could help so many people.
"I was inundated by people all feeling the same way."
